Cathay Group and Airbus have announced a joint investment agreement worth up to US$70 million (HK$545 million) to accelerate the development and production of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) across Asia and globally.
The partnership was unveiled at a ceremony in Hong Kong, hosted by Cathay Chief Operations and Service Delivery Officer Alex McGowan and Airbus President Asia Pacific Anand Stanley, on the sidelines of the IATA World Sustainability Symposium.
Under the agreement, Cathay and Airbus will identify, evaluate, and invest in projects that advance the commercial production of SAF towards 2030 and beyond. These projects will be assessed for their viability, technological maturity, and potential for long-term fuel offtake.
McGowan said SAF remains the most important lever for decarbonising aviation. “This partnership underscores our commitment to supporting a scalable SAF industry in the near term. It complements our broader strategy to invest in technologies and capacity that can transform the industry in the long run,” he said.
Stanley described the partnership as a practical step toward accelerating SAF availability.
“The production and distribution of affordable SAF at scale requires an unprecedented cross-sectoral approach. Our partnership with Cathay is a concrete example of how we catalyse production in the most suitable locations to serve our customers,” he said.
The collaboration will also see both companies advocate for policies that support SAF development and adoption across Asia, a region with strong potential for feedstock supply and production growth.
The announcement follows Cathay’s recent role as a launch investor in the oneworld BEV SAF Fund – an initiative led by oneworld airlines and Breakthrough Energy Ventures. While that fund targets emerging technologies, the new Cathay–Airbus partnership will focus on scaling mature SAF solutions for near- to medium-term deployment.
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